Apparatus for assembling tire and wheel

Abstract

An apparatus of the present invention is designed for assembling tires having a pair of spaced beads of various diameters and configurations with the respective wheels having a pair of seats moveable by a conveyor along an assembly path. A mounter station is disposed on the conveyor and presenting an alignment axis. A sealing mechanism is cooperable with the mounter station and is moveable around the alignment axis by a drive unit connected thereto for forcing at least one of the beads of the tire between the seats of the wheel. The apparatus accommodates a wide variety of wheel and tire sizes, is not complex and bulky, and reduces number of parts required to form the apparatus.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The subject invention relates to an apparatus for mounting a tire and wheel assembly.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Motor vehicles are commonly supported by pneumatic tires supported on respective wheels, i.e. a tire and wheel assembly. The tire and wheel assembly is among the most important parts of the motor vehicle. Everything concerned with driving, such as moving and stopping of the motor vehicle, involves the tire and wheel assembly. It is well known that a non-uniformed, i.e. improperly mounted and inflated tire and wheel assembly contributes significantly to noise and vibration of the motor vehicle. A tire and wheel assembly that is not properly mounted and inflated results in what is commonly referred to as smooth road shake, resulting in the undesirable vibration of the motor vehicle. If beads of the tire are not properly seated on seats of the wheel, air pressure over, for example 25 psi, may cause the bead to break and the tire and wheel ass...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]An advantage of the present invention is to provide an improved design of an apparatus for mounting a tire and wheel assembly that is compact and has a wide application range from an individually owned tire shop, a private garage, or the like.

[0012]Another advantage of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of accommodating a wide variety of wheel and tire sizes without modifying the apparatus.

[0013]Still another advantage of the present invention is to provide an improved design of a tire mounting apparatus that is not complex and bulky in design and integrates a pair rollers movable relative to one another thereby reducing number of parts required to form the apparatus.

Problems solved by technology

It is well known that a non-uniformed, i.e. improperly mounted and inflated tire and wheel assembly contributes significantly to noise and vibration of the motor vehicle.

A tire and wheel assembly that is not properly mounted and inflated results in what is commonly referred to as smooth road shake, resulting in the undesirable vibration of the motor vehicle.

If beads of the tire are not properly seated on seats of the wheel, air pressure over, for example 25 psi, may cause the bead to break and the tire and wheel assembly to explode during operation.

Each roller is moved relative the first and second chambers at only two fixed distances thereby diminishing capability of the apparatus to assemble the tire of multiple configurations.

Hence practicable, the prior art designs are too complex, non-compact and fit only to be installed and used within established environment of a production line to mount the tires within their respective wheels to undergo further inflation.

These prior art designs are limited to two tire sizes dependent upon the diameters of the first and second chambers, as for example the apparatus taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,716 to Hawk, thereby diminishing flexibility of wheel assembly application which is a prime in a modern manufacturing environment.

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